One by One
by roguetimechild
Summary: Veronica returns from her FBI internship to find her that those close to her are disappearing. Will she find who's responsible before they come for her and take all of her friends? Or is it one of her friends who is responsible?
1. Ronnie Returns

Set after the end of the series after Veronica returns from that FBI internship Piz wasn't too thrilled over. From Veronica's perspective.

I do hope you enjoy. Feel free to leave your thoughts.

No rights to the Veronica Mars TV show.

No rights to the Veronica Mars mov...oh wait.

* * *

Here I am, back from the FBI internship and let me tell you, studying for your future during periods that are not currently your future really takes it out of a girl. I'm immensely glad to be back in the present, which, being Hearst College, is actually just more preparation for the future.

As I trudge up to Mac's room for an obligatory "I'm back!" visit, I try extremely hard to focus on the present. I focus on the future as part of the college curriculum. If I were to look at the past, however, I might break down in a puddle of tears and have to be carried out in a trash bag, refusing to unlock from my fetal position.

My past is . . . colorful. And not just my best friend's murder, roofie-and-rape combo, corrupt legal systems, plotted bus crashes, and other murders and crime sprinkled throughout my adolescent years, but more recently, there's been boy trouble, and I'm not just talking about the kind-of sex tape that was released for public consumption.

I push all that aside as I knock on Mac's door. Mac is not a male. Sure, she has an androgynous commonly utilized nickname, but she is decidedly female. I can talk to her and not think about boys for an extended period with only a little effort on my part.

Also, we could not talk about mysteries or murders or sexual assault of any sort, because I've about had it with people deciding it's cool to do those kinds of things. I'm hoping the people of Neptune, California have learned by now not to commit crimes in towns Veronica Mars resides in.

Mac swivels her door open after an appropriate amount of time and smiles when she sees me.

"Veronica!" she grins.

"Mac-attack!" a reply rather pathetically, but we're friends, so it's okay that I did that horrible thing with her name, and she gives me a hug.

"Nice to see you," she greets, releasing me.

"It's decent seeing you," I shrug. "Our time of separation has alerted me that you are a great weight upon my life, and I could achieve so much without your burden."

"Yet you cannot let me go," she plays along.

"It's a bad habit," I agree. "Where's Parker?"

"She went to get coffee and it's taking her an astoundingly long time. Wanna come in?"

I figure it's kind of late for coffee, but I guess that's where the "astoundingly long time" part comes in.

Always reliable, for an impressively long time, Mac does not talk about boys or murder or digital media of any sorts, a particular stretch, being the computer geek of computer geeks. She's probably seething with excitement about pixels or something at any given point in a day.

But it's nearly inevitable that boys become a conversation piece eventually during our face-to-face couch catch-up period.

"Have you seen Wallace yet?" she ends up asking.

I let the mention of Wallace slide at first. He doesn't count as a boy.

"Not yet. You were stop _numero uno_ on my return trip?"

"I'm flattered," Mac grins, "but isn't Wallace friend _numero uno_? And have you been to see Piz, either?"

"I mean . . . yeah, we're close, I guess," I shrug, grasping to the non-Piz subject.

"Close? Aren't you guys the friendship of the centur—ohwaithe'sroommateswithPizwhoyoudon'twanttoconfront," her realization spills out in a babbling rush.

I give her a pointed look.

"Oops."

"It's okay," I forgive.

"What about Logan? Have you been to see him?"

"What is it about 'stop _numero uno'_ that you do not conceive?" I ask good-naturedly.

"The part where both Piz and Logan come after me."

"And Logan? _And _Logan? Mac, my dear, you have some awful ideas as to how my mind groups people together."

"I'm sorry. Was the order wrong?"

"Cindy Mackenzie, I carry a Taser."

Mac laughs.

"Speaking of romantic accolades," I decide to retaliate, "who are you currently with? Ambitionless test salesman or animals rights activist?"

"Neither," she sighs.

"Is no one worthy of Miss Mackenzie's hand?" I tease.

"Miss Mackenzie is quite content single, thank you very much."

"You know," I begin, "in romantic comedies, that's what the protagonist says right before they run into a hot guy in a flower shop or elevator that they kiss passionately right before the credits roll."

"I doubt that's the plot of every romantic comedy ever, Veronica Mars," Mac points out. "It's downright unrealistic. Romantically significant occurrences do not happen in or near elevators."

Uhh…

* * *

"Hey, bro," Dick greets as he enters one of the rooms in Logan's multi-roomed suite.

Logan nods as a return greeting.

"Did you hear Ronnie's back today after months of spy school?"

"Should I have?" Logan replies brusquely, busying himself with adjusting the TV volume to his liking.

"Well, Ronnie's back today after her months of spy school," Dick informed him. "I thought maybe that's information you would want. Not because you two were, like, in a weirdly long-term relationship or anything. Or because you left each other on bad terms. Or because she was technically your friend. Actually, more like a combination of the three."

"Thank you, Dick. You are a champion of men."

"You know, sometimes, your deadpan sarcasm really hurts," Dick feigns extreme offense.

"Should I show off my pearly whites as I abuse you with words?"

Dick points an encouraging finger at him. "I better see some smiles," he agrees. "Hey, speaking of people you're on bad terms with, have you seen Parker?"

"Why would I have seen Parker if I left her on bad terms, Dick?"

"Just asking, oh terribly rude one. Mac called up here to ask if we'd seen here about hour ago."

"And why do you care?" Logan asks half-attentively.

Dick shrugs. "The girl's hot. Hot girls are in short supply and its best we keep track of them."

Logan shakes his head at the TV screen in a sort of defeated manner.

"You're charming, my friend."

* * *

After leaving Mac's room, convinced Parker wouldn't return tonight, I make my way back to my own. I'm on my way to Wallace's room when I catch sight of a neck tattoo I've come to associate with an unlikely ally of mine.

"Hey, Weevil!" I call.

Weevil, crossing the campus, looks up when he sees me, then does this kind-of half-grin thing, because I guess true, hardcore thugs, even after they've left such a life behind for the most part, aren't allowed to beam at their friends.

Then again, I don't know if they're supposed to be college maintenance men either.

"V," he smiles at me, in the nickname I only allow him to utilize. "Long time, no see."

"Long time, no smell," I correct, wincing. "What is that stench?"

"You think this line of work smells like roses?" he challenges. "Now come here."

We hug.

"How're things?" I ask when we release.

"Living large," he gestures at his work uniform. "Not in jail. That's something. My grandma wouldn't complain. I've even made a friend or two. And you?"

"Just got back. Not sure yet."

"Are you scaring off your friends already when you've just returned?"

I frown. "Are you trying to be cryptic or are you legitimately trying to offend me?"

"Your friends with that Parker girl, aren't you?"

"Parker Lee? Yeah, why?"

"I saw her running earlier. She didn't even stop to stay hi. She looked spooked."

"Spooked?"

I'm about to question him further when my phone starts going off, signaling a text waiting for me. I hurriedly check it, and feel a wave of disappointment at Neptune's inability to keep itself in line.

Mac wrote:

_No one's seen Parker. She's missing._


	2. Semblance of Investigation

My dad had lost the sheriff election. Vinny Van Lowe holds the title now.

Don Lamb definitely had his flaws. Glaring, prominent, easily identifiable flaws that perhaps could've been overcome if he hadn't fallen victim to a baseball bat. At times, it was questionable whether or not Lamb had a heart, and if he did, was it made of something stony, stiff, and only found deep underground? But for all his flaws, he wasn't incompetent.

Vinny Van Lowe isn't _totally _incompetent.

But . . . pretty much.

"When was the last time you saw Miss Law?"

"Miss _Lee_," I correct him for the fourth time. His third attempt had been "Miss Leaf." Gah.

"Right, of course," Vinny notes, scribbling something out on his notepad. We're in Mac's room, notably Parker-less, and policemen are riddle about the place, searching for clues or whatever.

"I last saw her yesterday," Mac informs him. "She left to get us coffee."

"What kind of coffee?"

Mac and I exchange bewildered looks. "Excuse me?" she asks.

"What kind of coffee was she fetching for the both of you?"

"How is that relevant?" Mac frowns.

"Oh, are you getting nervous?" Vinny raises a condescending eyebrow. "Feeling a little antsy?"

"Are you accusing me of something?"

"Do you _feel _like I'm accusing you of something?"

"Seriously, Vinny?" I exclaim. "Do you want to find the girl or not?"

"That's exactly what I'm trying to do, Veronica," Vinny tells me in a tone I fail to take seriously.

"Then go find her!"

"Do you think it's that easy, V?" he asks, even though he is not Weevil and does not have permission to use that name. "Do you know how difficult it is to solve crimes?"

I hold back a hysterical fit of laughter.

"Out of curiosity, I would also like _you_ to address that question," I retort.

He replies with a look of unadulterated sass that I might find charming if the situation weren't so urgent.

"Veronica!" I hear.

I look past Vinny's shoulder and see Wallace striding into the room.

"Has anyone seen her?" he asks urgently.

"Weevil was the last one to see her," I inform him as he comes to stand beside me.

Vinny raises an eyebrow. "Weevil?"

"Eli Navarro," I tell him. "He told me he saw Parker running or something earlier, that she looked spooked."

"Did he say that Parker was running _from _him?"

"No, but if she was, why would he admit that?" I beg the question.

"Fair point," Vinny nods, trying to look professional and deeply contemplative. "I think we ought to question this Evil Navarro fellow."

"_Eli _Navarro," I sigh. "He goes by Weevil."

He scribbles something out. "Right, right. Why don't we get out of your hair now?"

"Oh, and Veronica," Wallace begins as the cops begin to shuffle out.

"Yeah?"

"Hi. It's nice to see you."

We turn to face each other and, despite everything, break into a grin. We end up hugging each other.

"Ugh, I missed you, boy," I inform him as I release him.

"Likewise. Are you, like, a super spy, now?" he asks.

"As sure as I know what you did the summer of '99."

"As long as you haven't read my e-mails."

"Don't tempt me."

Mac looks on at the reuniting with forced cheer, still upset about Parker. I obligatorily drop the smile and opt for a look of calm indifference.

"So, Parker," I clap my hands together. "Let's locate that girl."

* * *

Peppy determination and the dark hours of night do not go well together. The first step in my investigation was trying to knock on the doors of Parker's peers, but as it turns out, they're not really up for answering the door at half-past-really-unreasonably-late.

"I guess the interactive investigation waits until morning," I inform Wallace and Parker after the fourth door slammed in our faces. "In the meantime…"

I retrieve my phone from my pocket and dial up my lovable father.

"Hey, dad," I greet calmly.

"Hey, honey," he replies, trying to talk coherently past his grogginess. "Weren't you coming home today?"

"Yeah, I'm at Hearst right now," I tell him.

"You weren't going to stop by?"

"I had planned to, but something came up," I say. "Speaking of, you wouldn't have happened to have a noticeably attractive, blonde, college girl stashed away in the closet, would you?"

"No, I haven't kidnapped any sorority girls since last Friday. At least, not blonde ones."

"You upstanding citizen," I comment. "Well, if you see any running around looking scared, it's probably Parker Lee, and you should probably return her to Hearst at your nearest convenience."

"A girl's gone missing?" I can almost hear my dad scrunching his eyebrows with concern.

"It looks like it."

"When will people learn to stop committing crimes around the Mars family?"

"I was kind of thinking the same thing," I concur.

"I suspect we ought to watch her credit cards and track her cell phone?" he suggests.

"I wish it were that simple. She left her phone in her dorm and she doesn't usually use credit cards."

"Hmm," I hear the frown again.

"Will you see what you can find?"

"Of course, honey," he replies helpfully. "You have a good night. Or morning. I don't really know what four in the morning is considered."

"Thanks. You, too."

I stash the phone back into my pocket and turn to face my compatriots.

"There's something," I shrug as I begin to shuffle back to Mac's dorm. "Some semblance of an investigation is underway."

"What motive would someone have in taking her?" Wallace muses as the pair follows me.

"Not much to go on," I reply. "Jilted lover? Some loner who she made feel invisible in high school? A bored psycho?"

"No, I'm pretty sure Dick was in his room," Mac says. I reprimand her lightly to be kind and compassionate towards her peers. "Does it bother anyone else how passive we're being about this?"

"I think it's more repression of negative emotions more than it is passivity," I drone.

"What has Neptune done to us," Wallace muses.

"Hey!" we hear ahead of us.

Two figures are speeding towards us up ahead.

"Are they up at four at the morning or did I fall asleep in front of one of the doors we knocked on and this is all a lucid dream?" Mac wonders.

Logan and Dick trod up to us.

"Is Parker really missing?" Logan inquires, looking me straight in the eye for the first time in months.

* * *

~End of Chapter~

Your reviews were lovely and you are lovely and I love you and you are lovable.

Insert LoVE puns into that sentence as you wish.


	3. I Don't Know If You Remember Me

Logan and I have a complicated and sometimes volatile history, and this is my first time seeing him in months. However, I, Veronica Mars, am not one for sentiments, so when Logan asks for information about Parker, I simply relay the information about Parker.

"Parker's been missing since this morning," I tell him. "Weevil is allegedly the last one to have seen her." I look to Dick skeptically. "'Allegedly' means 'supposedly.'"

Dick threw up his arms in exaggerated offense. "Why do you assume I don't know what this means?"

"Do you?" Logan begs the question.

"No," he admits, "but some have the good grace not to mention it."

"Would you look at this?" Mac notes from behind me. "The gang reunites."

"Not the whole gang," I point out. I turn to face Wallace. "Where's Piz?"

"Didn't wake him up," he tells me. "Don't worry. He's not avoiding you. Or allegedly getting coffee."

"That would have concerned me," I agree.

Huh. So the Logan-and-Veronica reunion wasn't a dramatic onslaught of emotions and swelling music. Well, with the disappearance of a friend, I suppose I get a break.

"What happens now?" Logan asks.

"Sleep," I reply emphatically.

"Sleep?" he repeats. "That doesn't seem very proactive."

"You're late to this shindig, bro," Mac informs him. "We've done our investigating."

"Personally, I've used up my supply of investigation juice," Wallace adds.

"I could use a recharge," I agree. "Now to drive all the way home and attempt not to fall asleep at the wheel." I turn to wave at all the bystanders. "Shall I see you fellas tomorrow?"

"You can crash in my room," Wallace offers.

"No, thanks," I decline.

"Don't be offended on his behalf, but Veronica is avoiding Piz because she's currently unsure of where their relationship stands in terms of awkwardness," Mac explains in unneeded detail.

"Ah," Wallace nods.

"You can…" Logan begins, then trails off.

"You can stay in my room," Mac offers instead when he doesn't finish his sentence. "Parker being gone, and all. Empty bed."

I shoot a sidelong glance at Logan, not sure what kind of emotion I should communicate with it. Gratitude? Confusion? It ends up being this sort of blank, inscrutable flick of the gaze that probably only succeeds in confusing him.

"Thanks, Mac," I say.

"No problem," she says, "except for Parker being missing and all."

* * *

It's absurd that during extended mysteries and crime drama that keeps me up until the wee hours of morning that I'm still expected to get up and go to class every day. Mac nearly drags me to breakfast in the morning.

"Come on, sleeping beauty," she urges tiredly, pulling me by the arm. "Utilize the coffee. Utilize it."

I stumble after her, and perhaps I fall asleep for part of the journey to the line for coffee, because one of the next things I realize is that I'm sitting down at a table with a coffee steaming in front of me.

"When did this get here?" I ask it in confusion.

"Perhaps drinking it will clue you in."

I take the advice and down some of the stale beverage. Mac's right. Drinking the stuff does raise my awareness of my surroundings.

And suddenly, I'm aware the we are sitting at the same table as Piz.

Like, seriously. I'm _right next _to him.

"Hi, Veronica," he waves limply once he realizes I've noticed him.

"Piz!"

"That's me," he concurs. "How was that prestigious and rigorous internship?"

He's smiling. He is genuinely pleased to see me.

"Great," I smile back. "How were your tedious months without me?"

"Lamentable," he replies.

I forget why I was nervous about this reunion. All that anxiety for nothing! Being around Piz is as comfortable and natural as it's always been. I think back momentarily to the volatile nature of the relationship Logan and I had shared, so glad that it's behind me.

"Why are you smiling?" Piz asks.

"I'm happy," I beam.

"I'm the third wheel," Mac points out under her breath.

"I'm Stosh Piznarski," Piz adds.

I add, "Also lamentable."

"What are you talking about? It's a majestic name."

"Before this conversation gets any more entertaining," I say, "Piz, I don't suppose you've heard about Parker?"

"What about her?"

* * *

"Are you _serious_?"

"Surprisingly, yes," I reply, "although I'm usually one to make so many puns and funnies about crime."

"They just _took _her?" Piz exclaimed. "No leads, no nothing?"

"So far."

"It's quite perplexing," Mac concludes.

Piz adds, "I concur."

"On the bright side," I forcibly perk up, "I hear teen drug use has been steadily decreasing in recent years."

Mac nods, playing along with the nonchalance.

"Hey," she says suddenly, "did that girl go to Neptune High?"

I look up to where she is staring. Sure enough, I see a familiar face. Carrie Bishop, avid gossiper of Neptune who I'd formed an eventual uneasy camaraderie with is weaving her way through the tables, seeming to look for someone. Our eyes meet eventually. I'm prepared to give a weak wave as acknowledgement and move on with my life, but when she sees me, she starts coming towards me.

"Veronica, hi," she greets when she reaches me. "I don't know if you remember me. I'm Carrie."

"Carrie Bishop, of course," I smile cordially. "One doesn't easily forget those who've faked relationships with former favorite teachers."

Mac and Piz's eyebrows shoot up. Carrie and I ignore it.

"I didn't know you went to school here," I tell her.

"Basically everyone who went to Neptune high goes here."

"Then, no offense, but why are you socially interacting with me instead of one of those other people?"

Carrie glances uneasily around the room, as if making sure no one is listening. She leans down closer to me.

"Look, I know we weren't really friends or anything," she begins, "you, like, find people and solve mysteries and stuff, right?"

Oh, Neptune, how I've missed you.

* * *

~End of Chapter~

Here's the thing.

I want to arrange this kind of like one of the seasons, with a big over-arching mystery and little mysteries in between. And romantic tension. However, I don't want to introduce a lot of original characters that you wouldn't care about, so I'm probably going to reintroduce a lot of old one-offs and characters you may or may not remember. FYI.

Have a lovely day.


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